One of my favourite tournaments begins on Thursday when a select, high class 30 man field head to Sun City in South Africa for the Nedbank Golf Challenge.
This is an extremely lucrative event on a top golf course involving some of the stars of the golfing world mixed in with the best of Europe and South Africa in one of the highlights of the year.
Danny Willett won this title 12 months ago and saw the effect winning the tournament has both on a career and a season as he was never out of the top two in the Race to Dubai rankings from the minute he scooped this title so there is more than just a tournament to play for here.
The Gary Player Country Club is once again the venue for this tournament. The resort is a first-class one and the players are treated really well throughout the week so it is a popular event for everyone.
With just 30 men teeing it up there is no cut so everyone will get paid this week which takes some pressure off and they can all focus about taming an extremely long golf course and maximising their earning potential.
The course itself is extremely long in yardage. It is a par 72 which measures no fewer than 7,831 yards. The course is at a bit of altitude so it doesn’t play every one of those yards and the ball travels a fair distance but even so it is a long course.
Driving is crucial around here. The greens are pretty small by modern standard so you really have an advantage going into them from the fairways. The longer you hit it the better control you’ll have but you must find the fairways to put up the sort of scores needed to win an event of this calibre.
Henrik Stenson tees it up for the last time before he undergoes knee surgery and he is the 7/1 favourite to win the event. He is a former winner of the tournament but back in the days when only 12 men were invited. Branden Grace is a big name now and he is 9/1 to win this with the defending champion Willett at 11/1 ahead of last week’s winner Charl Schwartzel at 12/1.
With driving a massive thing this week one man jumps off the page when I look at the entry list and that is Matthew Fitzpatrick. I accept debutants don’t have a great record around here but part of that is because in years gone by there weren’t many of them but that isn’t the case anymore.
Willett won the tournament on debut last year and we know from his debut season that Fitzpatrick can perform on courses he’s playing for the first time. He had an outstanding rookie season on the European Tour and took everything in his stride.
Fitzpatrick is one of the most accurate drivers in Europe right now but he is pretty long when he needs to be too and I think this course sets up brilliantly for his tee to green game. With the smaller greens putting isn’t so key this week but he’s a good putter anyway and at 16/1 he’s an obvious pick this week.
Another really solid driver who I like in this tournament is Ross Fisher. Fisher has a good record around here and I’m not surprised by that because he is usually such a strong driver of the ball.
Fisher was Willett’s closest challenger around here last year. That was one of three top five efforts he has produced here in the three times he has played the event so he is clearly inspired both in the surroundings and on the golf course.
Fisher had a couple of decent efforts in China recently and the week off to recharge the batteries should ensure he is in peak condition for another strong tilt on a title that although it has eluded him so far it hasn’t been by much. This could easily be his week.
Back M.Fitzpatrick to win Nedbank Golf Challenge (e/w) for a 1.5/10 stake at 17.00 with Boylesports (1/4 1-4)
Back R.Fisher to win Nedbank Golf Challenge (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 29.00 with Betfred (1/4 1-4)
Blog golf YTD: +145.46pts
